Penumbra Foundation

In Building a Body of Work with Patricia Voulgaris (thisisnottricia), students advanced their personal projects, strengthened their visual voice, and built confidence through critique and discussion. Swipe through to see a few wips from our spring session made by Chloe Brover (Chloe Brover), , and Memry Anderson (photobymemry).

We’re excited to be offering this course again in the summer, happening Thursday evenings, from July 9 - August 13.

This course invites students at any stage of their project—from those with an idea accompanied by a few images to those with a project already in progress. Over 6 weeks, students will move their next body of work forward and gain tools for developing visual cohesion, strengthening narrative, and sustaining future long-term projects.

More info at the link in bio.

We are delighted to share the 2026 Penumbra Foundation Workspace Residents, selected by this year’s jury, Makeda Best, Natasha Chuk, and Walead Beshty!⁠
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Congratulations to the selected artists-in-residence:⁠
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✶ Rachel Guardiola (Victoria Acuff)⁠
✶ Avion Pearce (Avion Pearce)⁠
✶ Arturo Soto (Arturo Soto) ⁠
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The jury also recognized finalists and Misael Hernández (Misael Hernandez). ⁠
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We extend our gratitude to Makeda, Natasha, and Walead for their time and expertise, and to all of the artists who applied this year.⁠
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To learn more about each of the 2026 residents and our Workspace Program, visit our website linked in bio.⁠
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The 2026 Workspace A-I-R Workspace Program is supported by The Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, The Joy of Giving Something, the Ruth Foundation for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, public funds from New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, and the Lawrence Foundation.⁠
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Cover © Arturo Soto. Image 5 © Avion Pearce.

Dedicated to boundary-pushing work, the Project Space, Penumbra’s storefront gallery, is focusing on innovative photobook publishers through the presentation of their catalogues, making their projects available to all in a reading room-style environment.

Currently on view through August is , an art book publisher based in Seoul, Korea, specializing in the creation, publication, and exhibition of photography-centered books.

⁠Directed by Sangyon Joo and founded in 2010, Datz Press publications preserve and share artists’ work by carefully adapting each book to best represent the artist’s vision. They also operate the Datz Museum of Art and a book project space called D’ARK ROOM.
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Come browse titles by Datz Press and more in our Project Space, open to the public Monday-Friday, from 2-6pm! More info at the link in bio.

Image 3 © Datz Press / THING by Jungjin Lee
Image 6 © Datz Press / Pencil Paper Scissors Light by Diane Pierce
Image 10 © Datz Press / Dear Mother by Young Suh

Thank you, Leonian Foundation, for supporting our Workspace Program!

Congratulations to Penumbra Foundation on receiving a 2026 Leonian Foundation grant supporting the artist residency program, the Penumbra Workspace Program.

Can you believe these are both cyanotype prints? Swipe to see two different toning variations on the process made by students Nathan Foster and Andi Alexander in An Introduction to Alternative Process with Brittonie Fletcher ().

Join us for our next course with Brittonie happening Sunday afternoons, from June 21st-July 26th. In addition to cyanotype, students will be exploring albumen and salt printing, along with toning variations for each process. Students will learn how to set up a DIY workspace for printing at home, proper chemical safety, and how to source materials affordably.

Registration for this course closes on Friday! Tap the link in bio to join us.

This summer marks the third year of our Mini Series, a program designed to introduce all-level practitioners to a range of historic processes. Each 3-hour workshop covers all aspects of working with a specific process: from producing optimized digital negatives to coating papers and making final prints.

Our next series with Jarrett Esaw () is coming up soon in July. We’ll be learning Inkjet Layering in Cyanotype (July 1), Cyanotype Toning (July 8), and Platinum Palladium (July 15).

You can register by individual session, but if you plan to take all three, make sure to select “Full Series Bundle” to save on tuition. To sign up, tap the Workshops link in our bio.

Already taken our Mini Series? Keep exploring in a follow-up course:

✶ Intro to Alt Process: Siderotypes with Morgan Post ()
Tuesday evenings, August 11 - September 1

✶ Platinum Practice with Jarrett Esaw
Wednesday evenings, August 12 & 19

✶ Gum Bichromate Over Platinum with Tricia Rosenkilde ()
Saturday & Sunday, August 15 & 16

✶ Toning Cyanotype with Jarrett Esaw
Thursday evenings, August 20 & 27

In addition to our introductory wet plate courses, we offer a range of intermediate workshops for students looking for more time with the process and for those who want to explore lighting set-ups.

✶ Wet Plate Practice Day
Sunday, June 21 | 10am-6pm

✶ Wet Plate Practice Day
Monday, July 27 | 10am-6pm

Our Wet Plate Practice Days are guided practice sessions for those looking to sharpen their skills before working independently. Sam will be on hand to assist with pouring methods, dialing in exposure times, and answering any outstanding questions about the process.

✶ Intro to Strobe Lights for Wet Plate
Saturday & Sunday, August 29 & 30 | 10am-6pm

Given its extremely low sensitivity to light, the wet plate collodion process has historically called for long exposures in order to yield a proper image. With the advent of modern strobe-based lighting, exposures can now be made instantaneously, opening a new range of creative possibility. This workshop will give wet plate practitioners the skills and information necessary to utilize strobe lighting in their practice. Participants will learn about options on the new and used market for strobes and light modifiers suitable to the process that are powerful yet economical.

More at the link in bio.

Large-format photography offers unparalleled image quality and precision, inviting photographers into a slow, deliberate process that fosters a deeper connection with their subjects.

Intro to Large Format Photography with is a two-day workshop that guides students through every aspect of operating a 4x5 camera: from loading film holders to composing and properly exposing images both in the studio and in the field, developing negatives, and making contact prints in the darkroom to take home.

Perfect for those curious about large-format photography, this class provides the technical skills and hands-on experience to begin exploring this rewarding medium.

Tuition includes 25 sheets of Ilford HP5 per student and RC paper for making contact prints.

Saturday & Sunday, August 1 & 2 | 10am-6pm

More info at the link in bio.

Images 1, 2, 3, 5 © Sean Sirota. Image 4: Prints © Jennifer Lauren Smith

New to B&W Film Photography? Join us next month for our 3-Day Film Photography Intensive with David Vades Joseph ()!

Ideal for beginners or those looking to refresh their skills, this course covers the essential techniques of analog image making—from operating a 35mm film camera to processing negatives and making prints in the darkroom.

No prior darkroom or photography experience is needed. Tuition includes 2 rolls of film and 25 sheets of RC paper.

Tuesday - Thursday, July 21-23 | 10am-4pm

More info at the link in bio.